Atlanta has a spectacular young core featuring Trae Young, John Collins, Kevin Huerter, De’Andre Hunter, and Bogdanovic. Not to mention, Atlanta had one of the best drafts in 2021, as the Hawks drafted Jalen Johnson and Sharife Cooper. They should both see some minutes as backups for Collins and Young throughout the year. After an incredibly deep playoff run that saw the Hawks making it to the Conference Championship, Atlanta is poised to continue its strong surge in the East. Other important veterans to this Hawks team include Clint Capela, Danilo Gallinari, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Lou Williams. While the Hawks did have an incredible run last year and are poised to be a contending team in the 2021-22 season, they still have some areas of improvement. They ranked 17th in effective field goal percentage and 18th in team shooting percentage.
The good news for Atlanta is that it has several impressive shooters and athletes like Capela and Collins who can convert at a high percentage around the rim. Capela finished 25th last year out of every player in the NBA with an eFG% (effective field goal percentage) of 59.6%, while Collins was even better as he finished 17th with an eFG% of 60.9%. The combination of guards that can shoot and defend and the frontcourt players who convert their shots at a high percentage is a recipe for success. The only direction for the Hawks is up.
